Why does the halacha devote so much attention to the “small” issues? It is understandable to focus much energy on resolving matters of life and death, such as triage priorities and programming self-driving cars to kill one person instead of five. However, why do poskim spend so much time discussing questions such as the proper bracha on Crispix?
Devarim 1:17 (following Rashi’s first interpretation) provides an answer. Moshe Rabbeinu exhorts dayanim to treat small and great matters alike. While the directive focuses on resolving monetary disputes of varying sums, the idea applies to all areas of halacha.
Halacha applies Hashem’s word to all of life’s spheres. Application of the divine law to the mundane elevates it. No longer is Crispix a mere breakfast cereal; the extensive halachic discussion surrounding its bracha uplifts simple food into a godly matter. The posek, students of halacha and observant lay individuals share the vision of relating Hashem’s halacha to every nook and cranny of existence. Hence, the intense interest in both small and great matters and everything in between.
In addition, Hashem loves us intensely. Thus, no aspect of our lives is not of interest to Him. Just as a loving father cares about every part of a child’s life, our Father-in-Heaven deems everything we do to be of great importance and worthy of applying His holy law. Just as every individual—no matter how much prominence is accorded to him by society (as per Rashi’s second interpretation of Devarim 1:17)—merits dignity, so every aspect of our lives is important in Hashem’s eyes.
“The ethics and morals involved in this decision are too complex for me. I believe they are too complex for you, as well. Therefore, I referred it to an old rabbi on the Lower East Side of New York. He is a great scholar, a saintly individual. He knows how to answer such questions. When he tells me, I too will know.” These words—referring to Rav Moshe Feinstein—were reportedly uttered in 1977, by none other than Dr. Charles Everett Koop—then chief of surgery at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia—who was later to become the surgeon general of the United States during the Reagan administration. When deliberating the ethics of a morally wrenching dilemma, he made this statement to his staff.
Conjoined twin girls who shared one heart were born to a kolel family in Lakewood, New Jersey. The question was whether it was permissible to sacrifice one twin to save the other when, absent intervention, they both would have died.
Devarim 1:17 helps us understand why Rav Feinstein “knew how to answer such questions” more competently than, l’havdil, any other ethicist, be it secular or religious. Unlike other ethical systems, the halacha does not consider only “large” issues. Rav Feinstein devoted attention to applying God’s word to tens of 1000s of problems, large and small. His skills were honed far more extensively beyond that of any comparable ethicist. Thus, his decisions carried so much more weight.
Moving to the 21st century, Rav Hershel Schachter honed his skills in rendering halachic decisions regarding an untold variety of halachic challenges spanning the entire spectrum of the human experience. Such ceaseless exercises uniquely qualify Rav Schachter and other eminent poskim to render authoritative decisions even regarding the weightiest decision. Thus, we can confidently follow even the boldest rulings from Rav Feinstein and Rav Schachter regarding life and death issues.
We revel in the profound breath and depth of the halachic process. We joyfully grapple with issues of lesser weight, such as the bracha on Crispix, to matters of monumental importance, such as triage priorities and designing autonomous vehicles to kill one instead of five, and all levels of seriousness in between. Halacha addresses them all with great competence and profundity.
I am utterly amazed at the halachic process, even after five decades of deep immersion in its study. My wish is for all Jews—and even non-Jews—to find it equally breathtaking!
Rabbi Haim Jachter is the spiritual leader of Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck. He also serves as a rebbe at Torah Academy of Bergen County and a dayan on the Beth Din of Elizabeth.
